“I feel like I'm playing a game to answer questions comically on the theme of the material."
Natsu Shima is a contemporary knit artist behind her label OCTOBER & MARCH. Her pieces bring us a new image to knitting works. Let's take a glimpse into the background of her creation.
STARTING POINT FOR CREATING KNIT PRODUCTS
ーー WHY DID YOU START CREATING ARTWORK IN CROCHET?
When I was pregnant with my younger child, I was making baby shoes with woolen yarn. That got me thinking about the possibility of making shoes with materials besides leather and synthetic leather as I used to work in the shoe industry.
And I happened to have a knit in front of me, so I did a lot of research, thinking that knit might be a good manufacturing method.
For example, if you search for "Knit, Shoes," you will find quite a few foreign ones where the yarn is knitted directly into the sole of the flip-flop by punching a hole directly through the sole. I found out that it is a category like that kind of hobby handicraft.
That was just regular woolen yarn, so I looked for a material that could be used outside as a footwear, which led me to the polyester yarn I am using now, and that's when I started knitting artwork. I was able to make them right away by crocheting.
ーー IT'S AMAZING HOW QUICKLY YOU COULD GET IT INTO SHAPE.
Well, I read some knitting books, but perhaps my childhood knitting experience helped. When I was in elementary school, I used to crochet in the handicraft club. I also made something like rattan baskets out of thinly folded flyers.
ーー AHHH, THE KIND GRANDMAS USED TO MAKE.
I think I could make a really good one if I made it now. (Laughs) I used to make round door knob covers and put them on all the door knobs in my house.(Laughs) I remembered that I used to do handicrafts. I hadn't knitted since I graduated from elementary school, but I was surprised to find that my hands remembered. So I was able to get started quite easily. There are knit clothes that are made by sewing flat surfaces together to form a three-dimensional shape, but I thought it was unusual and interesting to knit it three-dimensionally.
ーー SO YOUR KNITTING EXPERIENCE IN YOUR CHILDHOOD HELPED YOU TO THE IDEA OF USING CROCHET AS A SHOEMAKING TECHNIQUE RIGHT AWAY.
Yeah, I'm sure that's true. The other thing is various timing. At the time, I was pregnant and couldn't go outside to meet the craftsmen or enter the factory. For example, when using leather, I had to work at a large desk. I think it was good that I didn't have those restrictions and could start within this small space.
ABOUT THE MATERIAL
ーー ARE THERE ANY OTHER REASONS YOU CHOSE POLYESTER cord AS A MATERIAL BESIDE IT CAN BE USED FOR SHOES?
One reason is that there is no fluff, and the second reason is the matte texture.
As the nylon or polyester wrapped around the core elastic cord is very fine, there is little fluffing, and it is very cohesive. The matte texture gives it a clear outline, so it was perfect for the mood I wanted to express. It's also very elegant.
ーー HAD YOU TRIED OTHER MATERIALS BEFORE YOU FOUND THIS POLYESTER cord?
I think I tried. But I got there quickly as it had to be an elastic cord. There are only a few kinds of elastic cords, so it was easy to find it.
ーー WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE AN ELASTIC CORD?
I originally chose this material to make shoes, so it needed to be stretchable for functional purposes. Leather cords were also an option, and I considered using them, but I thought they would be uncomfortable and painful around the feet. It would be better if they were lined, though.
THE CHARM OF THE CROCHET TECHNIQUE
ーー PLEASE TELL US HOW WHAT FASCINATES YOU ABOUT CROCHET TECHNIQUE.
The interest, or rather the advantage, is that you can try it out right away. There is no need to use machines or dangerous tools, and as long as you have the materials, you can get started. I think the advantage and interesting point is that you can create what you have in your mind right away in front of your eyes. Even if it doesn't turn out the way I wanted it to, it's fun to see how it might turn into a different item as I work with my hands.
ーー IT IS GOOD TO BE ABLE TO QUICKLY MAKE PROTOTYPES. ON THE OTHER HAND, WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES OR DIFFICULTIES?
I am trying to figure out a different form of GRID VASE, and I am hitting the wall right now. It is not so easy to create a new shape. It takes time because you don't know until you knit it and see it. But I think it is worth the challenge.
Key charms are made by weaving polyester strings around metal components.
ARTISTS INFLUENCED
ーー YOUR COLOR SCHEME IS VERY CHIC! WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FOR YOUR COLOR CHOICES?
The colors are obviously influenced by the artist or favorite artist. My biggest influence is Bruno Munari, who is famous for mobiles design and picture books. The things he makes, as well as the colors he uses, are all influenced by him.
You could say that Mr. Munari is both an artist and a designer. He is also a picture book author. He is someone who can cross the boundaries of various fields. I have recently noticed that many of his works are light in weight. For example, there is a work called "TravelSculpture" which is simply an origami piece, like this (fold a piece of paper in half and stand it up). The concept is that you can take this with you on your travels and display it in your hotel. I think it is good that his free mind is reflected in what he creates.
ーー SO YOU ARE INFLUENCED BY HIS COLOR SCHEME AND ALSO HIS FREE AND LIGHT MINDSET, RIGHT?
Yeah, I like him and I'm influenced by him. Like Mr. Munari, I am also incredibly prolific. In my case, I started with shoes, and then I have expanded to interior products. I think I am very much influenced by this style, in which I lightly cross different fields while experimenting with a variety of things.
Talking about color, I feel the influence of so-called abstract expressionist artists. The reason I like them so much is that their works are so large. I like Mark Rothko, for example, because his works are huge, like wallpaper.
All the other artists I like are people who create large pieces by consciously using colors. Well, Mr. Munari has a lot of small products though. Maybe I like the "experience of color" that I feel from large art works. I am attracted to the way Ellsworth Kelly and Barnett Newman present color. Even with a single color, there are different feelings depending on the combination of colors.
Then also Luis Barragán, a Mexican architect. He, too, is all about color, isn't he? Although the things they make are different, they all give people some kind of color experience. I haven't made anything that large, but I believe that even small things can bring that kind of experience.
ーー I AGREE THAT THE SIZE DOESN'T MATTER. FOR EXAMPLE, GRID VASE WILL SURELY BRING A PLAYFUL MOOD TO YOUR SPACE AS IT HAS A CRISP COLOR EVEN IT IS SMALL.
Yeah, I don't think it needs to be big, and I think it is influenced by small things like that. It is the same with clothes.
INSPIRATION
ーー YOU MENTIONED IN THE PAST THAT THE IDEA FOR THE KEY CHARM CAME FROM MAKING USE OF METAL PARTS OF A BAG. HOW THE OTHER ITEMS CAME ABOUT?
I guess it comes from the materials. When I was making shoes, I chose materials suitable for the function and shape I wanted to create. But the other pieces start from how to make use of the material itself. For example, GRID VASE, the cord called "matsuba" used in this work is very thin but very stiff. It is extremely sturdy and feels like wire, but it is not metal. I was wondering what I could do with its ability to stand on its own and came up with this idea. The material used for the FRAME is also the same polyester but it is stretchy. I thought this stretchy character could be used to pinch a picture.
I think I feel like I'm playing a game to answer questions comically on the theme of the material. (Laughing) I ask myself, "What can I do with this?". I don't just want to make a lot of things, but I want to make them interesting and attractive.
FEELING WHEN CREATING
ーー WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU WHEN CREATING?
I am not really conscious about it, but I think it is important to enjoy the time when creating itself. I think that feeling is reflected in the work in some way.
I am not following Mr. Munari but I want to create with a "free, light mindset" There is a very interesting work called "Xerografia" by Bruno Munari.The work was created at the time when copy machines were first becoming popular, and I can imagine from the work that Mr. Munari saying, "Wow, what an interesting machine!". I think it's great that he enjoys the creative process, and that his work has been preserved as an artwork.
ーー I THINK THAT YOU COULD KEEP CREATING AS YOU ENJOY IT, BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY MOMENT THAT STOPS YOUR HAND?
Yeah, it happens sometimes. Like, I don't know what's going on and take a break. (Laughs) There are a lot of such unfinished pieces. But I do sometimes pull out unfinished ones because I think I might be able to use them after time passes. There are some things that I wonder how they made it so far without seeing the goal. (Laughs)
I don't throw them away because they can be a source of inspiration, like looking at them and thinking of something new.
ーー WOW, YOU ARE SOMEWHAT OF A SCIENTIST.
There is a lot of uselessness. (Laughs) But I want to believe that I could find something in the uselessness.
ーー BY THE WAY, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN CREATING?
I listen to the radio most of the time, so the only thing I think about is what I hear from my ear. I only listen to AM radio. FM radio broadcasts more music in an urban mood, while AM radio broadcasts mainly people's talk. I listen to that chatter. I like people's stories more than music. Maybe I simply like the radio and use the time to knit. (Laughs)
ORIGIN OF THE BRAND NAME
ーー WHY DID YOU NAME YOUR BRAND "OCTOBER & MARCH"?
It is the month of my children's birth. Since I started making shoes for this brand when I was pregnant with my youngest child, and since my creative process itself is based on raising a child, I wanted to put some kind of word related to my children in the brand name. I felt it is not my style to put my child's name, so I was thinking of using numbers, like 10 and 3, but somehow I decided on OCTOBER & MARCH.
I think knitting itself is a bit like parenting. It can go fast and easy. You make mistakes, solve them, go back, and try again. It's very similar. That may be an additional reason, though.
ーー IT IS INTERESTING THERE IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN KNITTING AND PARENTING. I WONDERED IF THE WAY KNITTING SLOWLY TAKES SHAPE OVERLAPS WITH THE GROWTH OF A CHILD.
I think there is a sense of "slowly but surely". My grandparents, whom I haven't seen in a long time, say to my children, "Wow, you've grown so much!" but I have no idea about that. (Laughing) I look at them every day, so I don't even know that they have grown taller. It's really only a little change day by day, but there is steady progress.
ABOUT THE FUTURE
ーー IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY IN THE FUTURE?
I would like to make a piece knitted with different materials. There are so many things I want to make that I haven't been able to prioritize them. (Laughs) I'm interested in making stools, and then displays for example. I'm willing to create display space that show rather than making objects themselves. I think it would be interesting if I could suggest a way to showcase the lightness of the material.
MESSAGE TO USERS
ーー DO YOU HAVE ANY MESSAGE FOR THE USERS?
I want to have a dialogue through objects. I really enjoy imagining what kind of people, in what kind of rooms, and how they use things. For example, how would a flower vase be used? Especially with frames, you can tell a lot about a person's personality by what they display. Even if we don't meet in person, I think it is possible to have a dialogue by imagining things through them. Also, if you are interested, please try to knit! It's a lot of fun, so I want you to try it.
STORE OWNER’S COMMENT
When I first saw her work, I was amazed that such a thing could be created using knitting techniques! My heart was immediately captured by the rational shapes that made use of the nature of the materials and the charming colors. Inspired by her fun talk about knitting, I began to crochet, which also captured my heart. It's interesting to see how one cord takes shape as you repeatedly move it around with one needle. I hope you all give it a try!
OCTOBER & MARCH
A contemporary knit product brand based in Tokyo. They see knitting as a molding method which enables them to express in a flexible and diverse way. All pieces are made by hand by using brilliant colored polyester cords made in Japan, which are unusual for knitting. Giving forms based on unique ideas which come from making the most of the nature of materials by minimalistic process and minimal material loss.
You can see their works here
Website: https://octoberandmarch.com/
Instagram: @october_and_march